Welcome to the Fire Information Blog for the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP).

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

June 28, 2017 - Gerber Flats and Bear Fire Update

Lakeview
BLM’s Gerber
Flat Fire a management success story

KLAMATH FALLS,Ore. – Gerber Recreation Area will still
be green for the Fourth of July, thanks to a quick response to Monday’s
lightning fire combined with an ongoing resource management program.

“The campgrounds and view sheds
were not affected by the fire and winter snowmelt has restored the reservoir to
historically normal levels,” said Klamath Falls Field Manager Don Holmstrom,
whose office manages the area. “There’s a lot of fishing going on out there.”

In the early 2000s, BLM’s
Lakeview District implemented a combined fuels treatment program of
under-burning, juniper removal and commercial logging. As a result, the Gerber
Flat Fire stayed low to the ground rather than climbing taller “ladder” fuels
into the canopy.

“This shows how a wildland fire
under the right conditions in the right areas can beneficially perform its
natural role across the landscape for resource benefit.,” said Justin Pyle, a
BLM fuels specialist, who wrote the original management plan. “Active fuels
management in this area helped facilitate safe and efficient suppression
efforts.”

Monday’s lightning ignited two
fires in the Gerber Area, and South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership
crews worked through the night to suppress them.

Incident Commander Scott Havel
said crews on the 194-acre Gerber Flat Fire would continue to reinforce
firelines to a depth of 100 to 150 feet from the Gerber Road and along its east
and west boundaries.

Ground crews were able to limit
the Bear Fire, which started shortly after the Gerber Flat Fire, to 13 acres
and expect to have it fully contained later today.